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Charleston Business

Sea Pines Country Club Selects Phil Smith Design To Lead Course Enhancements

Sea Pines Country Club – a private club within Sea Pines featuring golf, tennis, multiple pools, and fitness – has selected golf course architect Phil Smith to create a masterplan for its esteemed Arnold Palmer-designed Club Course. 

A roadmap for the future of one of the island’s best kept secrets, it entails an in-depth analysis of the club’s practice facility, tees, fairways, bunkers, greens, cart paths, irrigation, and more. Upon completion of the masterplan, enhancements will begin on the practice facility, followed by restoration of Sea Pines’ only member-exclusive 18-hole course.

Based in Scottsdale, Ariz., Smith’s resume includes more than 30 years working with PGA TOUR and golf course design legends Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf. His extensive experience has led him to execute numerous high-profile renovations, including work on the TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course, Desert Mountain’s Cochise, Geronimo and Renegade courses, and a recent complete redesign of the Phoenician Golf Club. Phil is also busy completing several new designs including a new championship course at The Club at Flying Horse North in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“Phil Smith is one of the top names in golf course design, and we are thrilled to work with him on the masterplan for our Club Course,” says Robbie Ames, general manager and COO of Sea Pines Country Club. “Sea Pines is committed to maintaining a top-rated golf course and facility for our members.”

Originally designed by Arnold Palmer in 1973 and renovated by Clyde Johnston in 2001, the Club Course is known for its narrow, tree-lined fairways, doglegs, and small greens reminiscent of neighboring Harbour Town Golf Links at Sea Pines Resort. The layout meanders through lagoons and marshes, coming to a triumphant finish with the par-4 18th hole perched along one of the island’s most vast expanses of Lowcountry tidewater.

“Our goal is to complement the existing Club Course characteristics and enhance the world class golf experience already enjoyed by Sea Pines Country Club members,” says Phil Smith. “Respecting the unique Lowcountry setting will be at the heart of any proposed renovations.”

In 2016, the members of Sea Pines Country Club approved the Vision 2020 Facility Enhancement Plan. Completed during the summer of 2017, the Clubhouse was transformed to present a modern and contemporary pub and grille, bringing the breathtaking tidal marsh views into every angle. The indoor and outdoor pool complexes were also fully modernized. The multi-million-dollar renovation and expansion plan for the fitness center is scheduled to be finished early summer 2019.